“…It is not a coincidence that the Qur’an tells us in ‘al-Qasas’ about the conflict between Musa and Fir’awn (Moses and Pharaoh), and the Qur’an’s focus on this conflict is the verse: {“And We wished to do a favor to those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors.”} [al-Qasas; 5] So, this transferal of power began with a woman, as Allah Said: {“And We inspired to the mother of Musa: “Suckle him. But, when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear or grieve…””} [al-Qasas; 7]

So, the woman is the focal point of our conflict with our opponents, and the outcome of either victory or defeat will come through her. These are not words for a speech or poetry. Rather, it is the reality that we must all pay attention to.

So, you see today the best of this Ummah – where are its men? They are either in prisons, kicked out of their countries, or occupied with this struggle. So, who will protect the family and raise the children and see to the daily affairs of life? It is none other than the woman. And thanks to Allah, the Islamic Da’wah has won the battle until now when it comes to the woman despite the presence of some shortcomings in her being violated, corrupted, and turned into a source of corruption.

The conflict has begun in that the situation of the woman in our Ummah is not purely Islamic, as many social restrictions placed around the woman contradict the Shari’ah of Allah. For example, preventing her from education, preventing her from her right of ownership, looking down on her, and the spread of jahili practices against her – this reality gave a chance for the modern liberal jahiliyyah to gain acceptance with some of these poor women. With the help of their filthy devils, their goal is to transform the woman into a product to be displayed. Because of this, those of us involved in this da’wah have to free ourselves from these two forms of jahiliyyah – the first jahiliyyah and the second jahiliyyah; the corrupt jahiliyyah of the people and the jahiliyyah of liberalism. The correct path is with Islam, which is to respect the woman and appreciate her and to protect her rights to education and work that is within the guidelines of the Shari’ah, in addition to her rights of ownership, inheritance, etc.

And from the things we must struggle against in order to tighten the way for Satan to spread his message are high dowries in marriage, and to raise the excellent Islamic slogan of “The lesser your dowry is, the more your blessings will be,” as the presence of unmarried men and women who are at the age where they should be married is a hidden evil that can destroy every good. So, lowering dowries will end this, without a doubt. Also, we should break the shackles of this evil jahiliyyah such as the requirement of equal social status between spouses. This is a baseless condition, as Zaynab bint Jahsh – who was from Quraysh – married Zayd bin Harithah, who was a slave…and I have seen those who prefer that their daughters remain unmarried than to marry her to a Muslim who is not from the same country or tribe, and such people are described in the Shari’ah as oppressive caretakers, and their position as caretakers is nullified due to their inappropriate actions and foolishness.

The woman is the essence of our Ummah, and any shortcoming from her is a true defeat. Therefore, we have to take care of this aspect and to give it its proper attention. We see failure coming from some men who are on this path. However, until now, we have not seen failure from our sisters. Rather, we have only seen patience, resolve, faith, and true determination. Our sisters and mothers in Palestine are miracles of Allah in all of this, and some of them are unequaled by hundreds of Mujahid men in their struggle, patience, and resolve. Likewise, we saw in the Gulf countries awareness among the women that was much stronger than what was with the men, and purity of heart in supporting those struggling for this religion that we did not see from the men. So, all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. As for the West, the wives of the non-Arab brothers have Islam, faith, and awareness that we rarely see with the men. As for the wives of the Arab immigrants, they are generally much better and purer than their husbands. I heard many complaints from the Muslim women about the weakness of their husbands in regards to their religious practice, and this criticism proves the high status that our sisters hold and that they are better than the men, by the favor of Allah.

The attention that Satan and his soldiers give to the religious woman in her Hijab shows us the importance of this conflict. Therefore, it isn’t strange that France – with all of its problems – would turn its attention to fighting the Hijab and legislating laws to ban it, and to have many European countries imitate it in this devilish move. Likewise, if you follow what goes on in many conferences and the attention and effort given to destroy the family structure and the woman, you will come to realize that the woman is a fortress that is quite significant. So, this battle is one that we cannot ignore.

We have to teach our women, because education is what will protect her from failure. The ignorant woman is an enemy to herself, her husband, her household, and her society. And we have to defend her rights, and it is upon the propagators and scholars and religious people to distinguish true Islam from jahili social customs, because baseless social customs are the weapon that the modern jahiliyyah uses in its battle against the woman.

Why do we hear today of misyar marriages? I am not discussing the ruling on it here. Rather, I am discussing it as an unfamiliar social phenomenon, because the norm is that marriages are announced and known to all. The reason it now exists is because of the social deviation that is manifested in high dowries and the existence of the baseless condition of equal social status between the man and woman. So, the youth are turned off from marriage and remain unmarried, and the natural result is this sick, twisted form of marriage. This twisted form of marriage is what takes place when the woman is conscious of her Lord. However, if she is like other women, the result will be that she falls into a great offense, without a doubt…

We have the utmost love, respect, and appreciation for our believing mothers, sisters, and daughters. And for our patient wives, we have all the love, prayers, and gratitude. Were it not for them, we would be nothing, and there would be no future for our children…”

“…It is not a coincidence that the Qur’an tells us in ‘al-Qasas’ about the conflict between Musa and Fir’awn (Moses and Pharaoh), and the Qur’an’s focus on this conflict is the verse: {“And We wished to do a favor to those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors.”} [al-Qasas; 5] So, this transferal of power began with a woman, as Allah Said: {“And We inspired to the mother of Musa: “Suckle him. But, when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear or grieve…””} [al-Qasas; 7]

So, the woman is the focal point of our conflict with our opponents, and the outcome of either victory or defeat will come through her. These are not words for a speech or poetry. Rather, it is the reality that we must all pay attention to.

So, you see today the best of this Ummah – where are its men? They are either in prisons, kicked out of their countries, or occupied with this struggle. So, who will protect the family and raise the children and see to the daily affairs of life? It is none other than the woman. And thanks to Allah, the Islamic Da’wah has won the battle until now when it comes to the woman despite the presence of some shortcomings in her being violated, corrupted, and turned into a source of corruption.

The conflict has begun in that the situation of the woman in our Ummah is not purely Islamic, as many social restrictions placed around the woman contradict the Shari’ah of Allah. For example, preventing her from education, preventing her from her right of ownership, looking down on her, and the spread of jahili practices against her – this reality gave a chance for the modern liberal jahiliyyah to gain acceptance with some of these poor women. With the help of their filthy devils, their goal is to transform the woman into a product to be displayed. Because of this, those of us involved in this da’wah have to free ourselves from these two forms of jahiliyyah – the first jahiliyyah and the second jahiliyyah; the corrupt jahiliyyah of the people and the jahiliyyah of liberalism. The correct path is with Islam, which is to respect the woman and appreciate her and to protect her rights to education and work that is within the guidelines of the Shari’ah, in addition to her rights of ownership, inheritance, etc.

And from the things we must struggle against in order to tighten the way for Satan to spread his message are high dowries in marriage, and to raise the excellent Islamic slogan of “The lesser your dowry is, the more your blessings will be,” as the presence of unmarried men and women who are at the age where they should be married is a hidden evil that can destroy every good. So, lowering dowries will end this, without a doubt. Also, we should break the shackles of this evil jahiliyyah such as the requirement of equal social status between spouses. This is a baseless condition, as Zaynab bint Jahsh – who was from Quraysh – married Zayd bin Harithah, who was a slave…and I have seen those who prefer that their daughters remain unmarried than to marry her to a Muslim who is not from the same country or tribe, and such people are described in the Shari’ah as oppressive caretakers, and their position as caretakers is nullified due to their inappropriate actions and foolishness.

The woman is the essence of our Ummah, and any shortcoming from her is a true defeat. Therefore, we have to take care of this aspect and to give it its proper attention. We see failure coming from some men who are on this path. However, until now, we have not seen failure from our sisters. Rather, we have only seen patience, resolve, faith, and true determination. Our sisters and mothers in Palestine are miracles of Allah in all of this, and some of them are unequaled by hundreds of Mujahid men in their struggle, patience, and resolve. Likewise, we saw in the Gulf countries awareness among the women that was much stronger than what was with the men, and purity of heart in supporting those struggling for this religion that we did not see from the men. So, all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. As for the West, the wives of the non-Arab brothers have Islam, faith, and awareness that we rarely see with the men. As for the wives of the Arab immigrants, they are generally much better and purer than their husbands. I heard many complaints from the Muslim women about the weakness of their husbands in regards to their religious practice, and this criticism proves the high status that our sisters hold and that they are better than the men, by the favor of Allah.

The attention that Satan and his soldiers give to the religious woman in her Hijab shows us the importance of this conflict. Therefore, it isn’t strange that France – with all of its problems – would turn its attention to fighting the Hijab and legislating laws to ban it, and to have many European countries imitate it in this devilish move. Likewise, if you follow what goes on in many conferences and the attention and effort given to destroy the family structure and the woman, you will come to realize that the woman is a fortress that is quite significant. So, this battle is one that we cannot ignore.

We have to teach our women, because education is what will protect her from failure. The ignorant woman is an enemy to herself, her husband, her household, and her society. And we have to defend her rights, and it is upon the propagators and scholars and religious people to distinguish true Islam from jahili social customs, because baseless social customs are the weapon that the modern jahiliyyah uses in its battle against the woman.

Why do we hear today of misyar marriages? I am not discussing the ruling on it here. Rather, I am discussing it as an unfamiliar social phenomenon, because the norm is that marriages are announced and known to all. The reason it now exists is because of the social deviation that is manifested in high dowries and the existence of the baseless condition of equal social status between the man and woman. So, the youth are turned off from marriage and remain unmarried, and the natural result is this sick, twisted form of marriage. This twisted form of marriage is what takes place when the woman is conscious of her Lord. However, if she is like other women, the result will be that she falls into a great offense, without a doubt…

We have the utmost love, respect, and appreciation for our believing mothers, sisters, and daughters. And for our patient wives, we have all the love, prayers, and gratitude. Were it not for them, we would be nothing, and there would be no future for our children…”

InshaAllah this message is received in fulfilling the hadeeth beginning with the statement of " ad'deenun'naseehah…." and a reminder to always think good of thh muslims first, for we all err, and the best of those that err are those that repent, and that repentance requires good to the same level of the wrong possibly initially brought about

In response to the Jami’at article entitled: The choices we face: Isolation, integration or assimilation

N.B. The article was published perhaps 5 months ago, in the monthly publication.

Indeed All praise belongs to Allah SWT who brought us to life in order to purify all worship for Him SWT, and He SWT has legislated the shari’ah to be established on the earth with the qur’an and the sunnah as the source of all judgment. It is He SWT who guides whom He wills, and he whom Allah SWT guides cannot be mislead and he whom Allah SWT misleads none can guide. I tesitify that there is no deity truly worthy of worship besides Allah SWT, and that Muhammad S.A.W. is the servant and messenger of Allah SWT.

In response to the Jami’at article entitled: The choices we face: Isolation, integration or assimilation

Regarding the heading: “The choices we face ….”

This relates to the choices that one faces, as a muslim, living in darul kufr [the land of disbelief].

Allah SWT informs us of some choices we face with regards to lands we reside in, fears we may hold and also the outcomes that may be yielded from seeking to leave behind a legacy as opposed to laying down the pathway for a favorable stance in the hereafter:

“Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them): "In what (condition) were you?" They reply: "We were weak and oppressed on the earth." They (angels) say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?" Such men will find their abode in Hell – What an evil destination! He who emigrates (from his home) in the Cause of Allah, will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by. And whosoever leaves his home as an emigrant unto Allah and His Messenger, and death overtakes him, his reward is then surely incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” An-Nisa: 100

The beginning of the path towards formulating a mind-set within a people, is upon a thought, well worded, well presented, and in line with what their hearts desire. The mind-set sought after by the article, at the outset, from the title, is one that relegates hijrah and its partner being Jihad to the backseat, as one settles in the land that they residing in, coining three choices, isolation, integration or assimilation, while there is no thought or inclination to establishing shari’ah, affirming tawheed, announcing the truth and renouncing the falsehood, or making hijrah to where this is being done, or to supporting those calling for the Islamic land ‘darul islam’ that is the centre for da’wah, however the call is to establish or to work towards a legacy left behind in the land we reside in, thus establishing ourselves in a ‘darul kufr’ as our abode in this dunyaa. The call is to formulate a mind-set that strives [jahada] to affirming the law of the land and the deen [way] of the land, even though it is the land of disbelief [darul kufr] while upholding some of Islam such as certain matters in character, generosity in regards to charity and the second, third, fourth and fifth pillars of Islam – following the example of ghenghis khan as mentioned later in the article and explained towards the end of this response. The question beckons as to what happened to upholding the first?

We all should be looking to strive to establish more than just our salah, fasting, zakat and hajj, and with a simple reflection upon the way of Ebrahim A.S. being the father of monotheism, one would realize that the ayaat of wala and bara, were pronounced before the ayaat of salah:

“There is a good example for you in Ebrahim and those with him, when they told their people: Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah only.” 60:4

“And who turns away from the religion of Ebrahim – except him who befools himself” Al-Baqarah: 130

The writer and publisher says: “Therefore, it is the path of least resistance to stand apart from the ‘evil structures’ that promulgate such absurd legislation.” Under the heading ‘isolation’

Did not Ebrahim A.S. uphold the truth and all of Islam or was he an isolationist? [I distance myself far from such a thought] For Ebrahim A.S. stated to his father and tribe [or lets say to his community]: “We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah only” Is this not part of the instruction in the qur’an and the example of the manner of upholding ‘enjoining good and forbidding evil’? Read under the heading of isolation and take note of the eloquence of words used, yet it is a deception that is hidden from the unwary eye – beware!

If legislation is a part of worship, and thus an integral part of tawheed, then this matter is dealt with differently to that of fiqh, however the writer adopts a logical reasoning, using the rules of fiqh in matters of aqaai’dh, such as the matter of legislating [in ‘evil structures’ or other than that] is used in relation to other matters of haraam/fiqh, and the ruling of seeking benefit is applied to shirk and kufr, while there is no benefit in seeking these, unless out of necessity that translates to a matter of life and death – If Allah SWT said this in the qur’an:

“They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah…” Taubah:31

And Muhammad S.A.W. explained it with this hadeeth and words said to Adi bin Haatim:

The Messenger of Allah recited this Ayah; (They took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah). `Adi commented, "I said, `They did not worship them.''' The Prophet said, (Yes they did. They (rabbis and monks) prohibited the allowed for them (Christians and Jews) and allowed the prohibited, and they obeyed them. This is how they worshipped them.) The Messenger of Allah said to `Adi, (O `Adi what do you say Did you run away (to Ash-Sham) so that 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Great) is not pronounced Do you know of anything greater than Allah What made you run away Did you run away so that `La ilaha illallah' is not pronounced Do you know of any deity worthy of worship except Allah)

The Messenger invited `Adi to embrace Islam, and he embraced Islam and pronounced the Testimony of Truth. The face of the Messenger of Allah beamed with pleasure and he said to `Adi, (Verily, the Jews have earned the anger (of Allah) and the Christians are misguided.) ….Tafsir Ibn Katheer, surah taubah verse 31

The above was said to Adi bin Haatim – what about us? Are we above Adi bin Haatim? Are we above what the qur’an says?

Why be like a baby throwing the toys out of the cot with such statements as: “People should totally isolate themselves from the finance and banking establishment that bases its system on riba. Or for that matter, from supermarkets that sell liquor, or libraries that contain books on evolution, or from stores that sell clothes made in sweatshops of china”

There is permissibility to the extent of the necessity in matters of halaal and haraam, yet not in matters of belief and disbelief. Example: Safeguarding ones money in a country that is known for crime gives rise to the necessity of placing it in the bank – however this is merely for safeguarding and not to be used for personal gain as that would lead to haraam – so the permissibility [putting it into the banking system of riba] was only due to the necessity [safeguarding ones wealth] that arose due to circumstance [crime] and this was only to the extent of the necessity [to safeguard the wealth from the crime that is rampant in our societies] and anything exceeding these boundaries enters one into haraam.

Another example, is working in a place where there is free mixing. Working is a necessity in order to seek the means to provision for ones family, and so this is the necessity. Some people [rather many] can only find jobs in such environments, and thus working in this place is a necessity. However if the work place was having a party, or drinking session at the pool room or year end bash – then these matters are exceeding beyond the necessity and thus enters one into haraam.

We thus ask again, Why be like a baby throwing the toys out of the cot? Why isolate one from islam, and distance people from the beauty that allows living within the bounds of Islam even in such environments, until a way is found to something better?

Isolation reworded: “There are a few who would advocate this stance, simply on the basis that calling for the shari’ah of Allah SWT, plural marriages, not working with riba, are inconsistent with democratic principles. Therefore it is the path of least resistance to stand apart from the ‘islamic ways’ that clash with the legislation of the land”

This said: We are not advocating the isolationist theory, as one can stand by their beliefs, and uphold it in their speech and actions, while benefiting the community, rather than being truthful to the country, nation and democratic sytem while compromising the covenant with Allah SWT. This action is even more dangerous when pushed out by ulema that may influence thousands of people

We will never be isolationist as long as we hold onto the rope of Allah SWT all together!

Alhamdulillah for the matter of assimilation. Moving onto the title of integration:

Allah SWT says:

“They wish that you shouldcompromise(in religion out of courtesy) with them: so they (too) wouldcompromisewith you. “ Al-Qalam: 9

Lo! You are the ones wholovethem but theyloveyou not, and you believe in all the Scriptures [i.e. you believe in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), while they disbelieve in your Book, the Qur'an]. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe." But when they are alone, they bite the tips of their fingers at you in rage. Say: "Perish in your rage. Certainly, Allah knows what is in the breasts (all the secrets)." Aal-Imran: 119

So, we should have an example or examples on a stance to adopt, as we are the muqal’lidoon of Muhammad S.A.W.

"In the Messenger of Allah you have the perfect example to follow." 33:2

“There is a good example for you in Ebrahim and those with him…”

“And strive hard in the path of Allah as you ought to strive, He has chosen you, and has not laid upon you in religion any hardsip, it is the religion of your father Ebrahim. It is He who has named you Muslims both before and in this Qur’an, that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind!…” Al-Hajj: 78

Ebrahim A.S. did not merely lay down three choices due to his circumstance or situation, nor did Muhammad S.A.W. nor did the sahaabah, yet the latter tried their best to emulate the former and this is our example. Indeed the sahaabah travelled across the world, and upheldislamic values and principles and did not compromise them, even if people were thrown into boiling cauldrons and the sahaabah was asked to relinquish his religion, and the sahaabah started to cry, and so the king thought that his crying due to the difficulty he is in and that he has been broken, only to get the reply: “I wish I had a life for every hair on my body, in order to die for the sake of my deen”

No – he did not call everyone to assimilate and intergrate, but called them to hold firm to all matters of the deen, in ease and difficulty, especially the matter of belief and disbelief, even though it was permissible for him to say he relinquished his deen yet be firm upon it in his heart – where does that place us? Should we not start to try at the least?

The Social Sciences Dictionary defines integration as: “The joining of different ethnic groups within a society into a common social life regulated by generally accepted norms and values. This process need not involve the obliteration of distinct ethnic identity, which would be assimilation, but it implies that ethnic identity does not limit or constrain commitment to the common activities, values and goals of the society.”

The argument can certainly be made for Education policies, administrative processes and technology, I would agree 100%, but adopting an Education policy or Technological advances certainly doesn’t require us to have Western or European identities!! Lest we forget the hadith narrated in Bukhari wherein the Prophet (PUBH) warns us of following the People of the Book. He (PUBH ) said:

“You will follow the ways of those before you step by step and arm by an arm even if they would enter a lizard’s burrow, you would follow them. We said: O Messenger of Allah, [you mean] the Jews and the Christians? He said: Who else!” Hani Abad, understanding the concept of integration,www.islamicawakening.com.

Are we choosing to follow the ways of ghenghis khan, or the ways of the jews and Christians in taking part of the book and not the rest, or in upholding, establishing and cementing the democratic system as opposed to the shar’ii system? I distance myself far from this and its people – if you wish, then say I am isolating myself from such people and their ways, until they return back to Islam……May Allah SWT safeguard us and have mercy upon us.

Is this the ‘value based leadership and responsibility’ being called for. One that believes in part of the book and not in the other? Why not strive to uphold the values of Ebrahim A.S. Muhammad S.A.W. and the Sahaabah R.A.?

“Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” Al-Baqarah: 85

We cannot ‘involve ourselves in all structures’ of our society, as this would require an uncompromising stance in certain matters such as that of legislation, such as that of jihad and other than that. Merely with the mention of these words in accordance with the shari’ah has many muslims shaking for the hatred of the kuffaar will be displayed, yet the stance we have adopted with the kuffaar is one of kindness and that with the Muslims is one of harshness, unless one ‘goes with the flow’.

“Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allâh, And those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves..”Al-Fath 48:29

SubhanAllah, when will the Ulema take a stance as Muhammad S.A.W. was commanded to and as we are commanded to? When will they start to lead us with the very same words and passion that they seeking to do under the system of democracy, only this time, within the system of Islam?

“O Prophet (Muhammad???????????????)! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and beharshagainst them, their abode is Hell, – and worst indeed is that destination. “ At-Taubah: 73

“The most successful muslim societies throughout history, have added their unique norms and values to the adopted society in such a way that the whole society benefits” This is true, however it was done by calling people to Islam, dealing with them in accordance with Islam, and should the message be rejected and the call be placed on the back seat, replacing the tawheed of legislation for shari’ah with the shirk of legislation for democracy – then the response from the most successful of people, ever, is

"Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah.'" Bukhari

Muhammad S.A.W said: (I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the Zakah.) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, in relation to the ayah of the sword, Surah Taubah.

This article, initially seemed so good and well intended, yet upon a closer look, it was merely eloquence that serves the dangerous purpose of formulating the seed for a mindset that does not seek the best in the hereafter, rather a legacy in this life, one that seeks a mentality that does not seek the establishment of the deen of Allah SWT with its shari’ah on the darul islam, but rather the deen of democracy [the deen of the people] with its legislation according to desires on the darul kufr or as it was coined 'darul da’wah'.

"This present life is only like water which We send down from the clouds so that the luxuriant herbage sustaining man and beast may grow; until when the Earth puts on its lovely garment and becomes adorned, and its people believe that they are its masters – down then comes Our scourge upon it by night or in broad day, laying it waste as though it had not blossomed yesterday. Thus We make plain our Signs to thoughtful men." [10: 24-25

It seems to seek after a mentality that seeks to give rise to ‘a mixed up community and individuals’ who take the stance of Genghis khan, who adopted some of islam’s values and principles, and also took on those of the Christians and jews and his own, and placed them in a book called al-yaasiq – This is not Islam! The annals of history are not written by the likes of Genghis Khan and the tatars, but rather that of Ibn Taymiyyah who fought the evil of such people, calling for Islamic rule.He issued a fatwa, in the times of the tatar’s stating:

"It is known by necessity in the Deen of the Muslims and by the agreement of all the Muslims that whoever follows a Shari'ah other than the Shari'ah of Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) then he is a Kaffir and it is like the Kufr of the one who believes in some of the Book and disbelieves in some of the Book." Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah: Al-Fataawaa, Vol. 28/524

Nevertheless we must beware and take heed and start striving for, for we can die at any time, and Allah SWT says:

“Most of them do not believe in Allah except that they join partners with Him”(Yusuf 12:106)

"....do not die except in the state of Islam"

Seek what you wish of legacies, yet the best of deaths would probably be the one that does not merely have the tongue reciting the shahaadah [mere words], but the limbs testifying to the fact that one sought to establish it in this life, by every means, to make the word of Allah superior above all else:

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad???????????????) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make itsuperiorover all religions even though the Mushrikun hate (it). “ 9:33

“He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad???????????????) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), that He may make it (Islam)superiorto all religions. And All-Sufficient is Allah as a Witness. “ 48:28

Ibn Abbass narrated that Rasulullah (SAAWS) said: Whoever lives the life of a Bedouin becomes coarse. And whoever occupies himself with hunting becomes heedless and whoever visits the rulers falls into fitnah. Narrated by Abu Dawud, al Tirmithis, al Nasai, and al Bayhaqi and is agreeable.

Man is affected by his environment and actions. Therefore Islam guides us to which actions we should perform and which actions should be avoided and it also teaches us what environment we should live in and which people we should surround ourselves with.

The line of work one chooses affects his personality. The personal traits one gains from being in the medical field are different than those one gains from being in IT for example. Some professions make people coarse when others make them gentle. In some professions being polite is necessary for success in the field while in others profanity and rudeness is the rule. Even within the same profession one may find differences. Rasulullah (SAAWS) says that shepherds of goats and sheep are merciful while shepherds of camels are proud.

In the above quoted hadith Rasulullah (SAAWS) mentions three actions and their effects on the person who performs them. The first is living as a Bedouin. Rasulullah (SAAWS)says that life as a Bedouin makes a person coarse and rough in their character. The difficulty of life in the desert and the rough environment demand that man develops the traits that are suitable for his survival in such conditions.

The second action is hunting. The ability to find the game and the desire to win against its abilities to deceive, hide and run from the hunter is exiting and can become an addiction. This may lead to a person foregoing the responsibilities that they have and lead to shortcomings in their religion and thus Rasulullah (SAAWS) says they become heedless.

The third action is visiting the rulers. Rasulullah (SAAWS) says that the person who visits the rulers falls into fitnah. In the commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, Awn al Mabood, it says that the meaning of falling into fitnah here is loosing one’s religion.

In Tuhfat al Ahuthi, the commentary on Sunan al Tirmithi it says: “that the one who visits the ruler and adulates him has fell into fitnah but the one who visits him and does not adulate him but advises him and enjoins him to do good and forbids him from doing evil then his visiting to the ruler becomes the greatest Jihad.”

The hadith here refers to the rulers of the Muslims who were Muslim but fell into wrongdoing and oppression. So what should we say about the scholars who visit the rulers of today who have left the folds of Islam altogether? If the hadith states that a person loses his religion by visiting an oppressive ruler what would happen to the religion of those scholars who visit the promoters of apostasy and the protectors of the enemies of ummah?

Entering into the world of the rulers is a fitnah. Their world is an artificial and deceptive one when the scholars come from a pure and clean environment. The environment of the scholars is an honest and straightforward one and does not prepare them for what they face in the world of deception and lies of the kings. These rulers trick the scholars with their words and promises and they win over their loyalty by kind treatment and “gifts”. Doesn’t Rasulullah (SAAWS) say: “Give each other gifts and you would love each other”?

Indeed some of these scholars have absorbed in their hearts the love of the rules like Banu Israel absorbed the love of the Calf.

These rulers have entrapped many scholars in their webs and recruited them to the role of protecting them, their interests and the interests of their masters, the Jews and Christians, rather than protecting the religion of Allah and the Muslims.

But there will always be a group of this ummah on truth protecting the religion of Allah and there are scholars who stand for the truth and sacrifice for it. There are scholars today who follow the footsteps of Ahmad ibn Hanbal who stood up alone for the truth only to become the Imam of Ahl al Sunnah wal Jama’ah.

Ibn Abbass narrated that Rasulullah (SAAWS) said: Whoever lives the life of a Bedouin becomes coarse. And whoever occupies himself with hunting becomes heedless and whoever visits the rulers falls into fitnah. Narrated by Abu Dawud, al Tirmithis, al Nasai, and al Bayhaqi and is agreeable.

Man is affected by his environment and actions. Therefore Islam guides us to which actions we should perform and which actions should be avoided and it also teaches us what environment we should live in and which people we should surround ourselves with.

The line of work one chooses affects his personality. The personal traits one gains from being in the medical field are different than those one gains from being in IT for example. Some professions make people coarse when others make them gentle. In some professions being polite is necessary for success in the field while in others profanity and rudeness is the rule. Even within the same profession one may find differences. Rasulullah (SAAWS) says that shepherds of goats and sheep are merciful while shepherds of camels are proud.

In the above quoted hadith Rasulullah (SAAWS) mentions three actions and their effects on the person who performs them. The first is living as a Bedouin. Rasulullah (SAAWS)says that life as a Bedouin makes a person coarse and rough in their character. The difficulty of life in the desert and the rough environment demand that man develops the traits that are suitable for his survival in such conditions.

The second action is hunting. The ability to find the game and the desire to win against its abilities to deceive, hide and run from the hunter is exiting and can become an addiction. This may lead to a person foregoing the responsibilities that they have and lead to shortcomings in their religion and thus Rasulullah (SAAWS) says they become heedless.

The third action is visiting the rulers. Rasulullah (SAAWS) says that the person who visits the rulers falls into fitnah. In the commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, Awn al Mabood, it says that the meaning of falling into fitnah here is loosing one’s religion.

In Tuhfat al Ahuthi, the commentary on Sunan al Tirmithi it says: “that the one who visits the ruler and adulates him has fell into fitnah but the one who visits him and does not adulate him but advises him and enjoins him to do good and forbids him from doing evil then his visiting to the ruler becomes the greatest Jihad.”

The hadith here refers to the rulers of the Muslims who were Muslim but fell into wrongdoing and oppression. So what should we say about the scholars who visit the rulers of today who have left the folds of Islam altogether? If the hadith states that a person loses his religion by visiting an oppressive ruler what would happen to the religion of those scholars who visit the promoters of apostasy and the protectors of the enemies of ummah?

Entering into the world of the rulers is a fitnah. Their world is an artificial and deceptive one when the scholars come from a pure and clean environment. The environment of the scholars is an honest and straightforward one and does not prepare them for what they face in the world of deception and lies of the kings. These rulers trick the scholars with their words and promises and they win over their loyalty by kind treatment and “gifts”. Doesn’t Rasulullah (SAAWS) say: “Give each other gifts and you would love each other”?

Indeed some of these scholars have absorbed in their hearts the love of the rules like Banu Israel absorbed the love of the Calf.

These rulers have entrapped many scholars in their webs and recruited them to the role of protecting them, their interests and the interests of their masters, the Jews and Christians, rather than protecting the religion of Allah and the Muslims.

But there will always be a group of this ummah on truth protecting the religion of Allah and there are scholars who stand for the truth and sacrifice for it. There are scholars today who follow the footsteps of Ahmad ibn Hanbal who stood up alone for the truth only to become the Imam of Ahl al Sunnah wal Jama’ah.